Legendary Korean Actor Lee Soon-jae Passes Away at 91 — A Lifelong Devotion to the Stage and Screen
Renowned South Korean actor Lee Soon-jae has passed away at the age of 91. According to his family, he died in the early hours of the 25th. Although he remained active in both television and theater until recently, his health began to deteriorate rapidly late last year. His participation in the play Waiting for Godot While Waiting for Godot was halted midway due to health concerns, and during the KBS Drama Awards, he appeared noticeably thin and walked onto the stage with assistance from junior actors. Despite undergoing rehabilitation, he ultimately was unable to recover.
Born in 1934 in Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province, Lee moved to Seoul with his grandparents at the age of four. Officially registered as a 1935-born, he developed an interest in acting during his years at Seoul National University, where he majored in philosophy. Fascinated with cinema—a popular and affordable pastime for students at the time—he chose to pursue acting after being deeply inspired by Laurence Olivier’s performance in Hamlet.
Lee made his stage debut in 1956 with the play Beyond the Horizon, and later became one of the first contracted actors of TBC in 1965, effectively walking side by side with the evolution of Korean broadcast history.
Throughout his career, he appeared in around 140 television dramas, including major hits such as What Is Love?, Hur Jun, Sangdo, Age of Wandering, Mom Is Angry, and many more—far too many to count when including supporting roles. At one point, he even worked on more than 30 productions in a single month. His iconic drama What Is Love? (1991–1992), in which he portrayed a traditional patriarch known as “Daebari’s father,” recorded a 65% viewer rating and resonated strongly with audiences of the time.
Lee also played a pivotal role in the golden era of Korean historical dramas. With powerful and commanding performances in The Hymn of Death, Empress Inmok, Wind and Cloud, Independence Gate, Hur Jun (1999), Sangdo (2001), and Lee San (2007), he cemented his reputation as a master of sageuk.
Even after achieving near-legendary status, he continued to expand his acting spectrum. In his 70s, he broke free from his dignified image to deliver humorous performances in the sitcoms High Kick! (2006) and High Kick Through the Roof (2009), earning new popularity among younger audiences, who fondly dubbed him “Yadong Soon-jae.”
His passion extended off-screen as well. In the reality show Grandpas Over Flowers (2013), he captivated viewers with his stamina and drive, earning the nickname “Straight-Forward Soon-jae.” Approaching his 90s, he returned to theater with remarkable energy, starring in productions such as Love, Love, Love (2016), My Grandpa Henry (2017), Death of a Salesman (2017), and King Lear (2021). In King Lear, he delivered a 200-minute performance as the sole lead carrying a massive volume of lines—earning widespread admiration. In 2023, he stepped into directing for the first time, bringing Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull to a major theater stage alongside younger actors.
His relentless dedication to acting continued even last year, as he starred in the play Waiting for Godot While Waiting for Godot and the KBS drama Dog Sound. He became the oldest-ever recipient of the Grand Prize at the KBS Drama Awards during the same year. For his artistic achievements, he was honored with the Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit in 2002 and the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit in 2018.
Lee’s early life was also shaped by the tides of history—he experienced Korea’s liberation as a child selling goods at Namdaemun Market with his grandfather, and lived through the Korean War during his first year of high school. Although he devoted the majority of his life to acting, he briefly entered politics, serving as a lawmaker in the 14th National Assembly after being elected in Seoul Jungnang-gap district in 1992 as a member of the ruling Democratic Liberal Party. He later served as Deputy Spokesperson of the party and Secretary-General of the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians’ Union. In more recent years, he continued investing in the next generation as a distinguished professor of Acting at Gachon University.
His funeral is being held in Room 30 of the Asan Medical Center Funeral Hall in Seoul. He is survived by his wife, Choi Hee-jung, his son Lee Jong-hyuk, and his daughter Lee Jung-eun. The funeral procession will take place at 6:20 a.m. on the 27th, and he will be laid to rest at Eden Nakwonn in Icheon.
